


i've seen you around

by Kaikajo



Category: Gintama
Genre: Don't Kill Me, F/M, Shorts, Slow AF Burn, spare me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-20 16:59:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6017563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaikajo/pseuds/Kaikajo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Collection of short Okikagu fics set in the same au!<br/>Most recent: Ch.7: two peppermint mochas please!<br/>--<br/>Synopsis: Kagura has been saving up to try to find her no-good father by working at the "Gin's Odd-Jobs", an everchanging workplace that constantly switches businesses to whatever Gin thinks makes the most money, from clothing shops to cafes. One day, she converses with a regular at their cafe for the first time-a conceited playboy that regularaly visits the cafe-and there, their bitter distaste towards each other blossoms into some sort of odd friendship (and maybe something more when they grow older -wink-).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. please don't ever come back

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this V day fic (^:  
> P.S. Kagura is around 15-16 or so in this chap  
> *set in cafe au/normal universe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | late winter (february, valentines day).

He came frequently to the Yorozuya Cafe shop, bringing a different girl every time he did come.

Except for the last few visits he brought the same girl over and over again for a good two months. She was a pretty girl, probably a couple of years older than Kagura. She sported long, dark blue hair and vacant crimson eyes, completely different from all the perky and girlish girls he had brought before.

She actually hadn't seen him in a while, two weeks or so- not that she was waiting for him to come. Maybe it was slightly boring without his weekly break up routines though.

“Kagura, get your lazy butt off the chair and go work the register!” Gin slapped the back of her head with a towel before he went into the back.

Kagura bared her teeth at him; as if _he_ did anything. He usually dumped all the work onto Shinpachi and herself while he just went into the break room and picked his nose or something. She was surprised that he stuck with the 'cafe' route, since they usually changed shop themes frequently. The cafe was the only idea that lasted for more than a month. The clothing shop idea lasted for a sad excuse of a week, the casino was a big flop on the first day, and she didn't want to get started on his attempt to fish in money by trying to open a Yorozuya Hospital.

Kagura knew Shinpachi and Gin were going to be out of service today, since it was their most 'dreaded' day; Valentines Day. Every year all they did was mope and look even more pathetic about being single than usual, not that it bothered her. She _thrived_ on their pathetic attitudes during work because she was able to slack off just a bit, more so than usual.

“Here's your Mayo Creamed Coffee, Toshi.” Kagura struggled to keep her face impassive as she handed it to the officer. Everyone knew Hijikata probably had the most absurd preferences for taste ever, but no one was going to go against the Vice Commander of the Shinsengumi police force. A thornless red rose was perched on top of his drink.

“Don't 'Toshi' me,” he grunted back as he glanced behind the counter, “what's up with the atmosphere in here? It's suffocating...”

“Blame the pathetic singles over there,” Kagura jabbed a thumb behind her, towards the break room.

The walkie-talkie on his hip blared up with sound; mostly static than comprehensible words. Kagura had no idea how anyone could understand when speaking through those.

“If they keep that up, they'll be single forever,” Hijikata took out a small box. “Don't look so glum kid, share it with the rest of your sad coworkers.” He tossed Kagura a small, pink box wrapped with a red ribbon.

Kagura's eyes lit up as she held the box delicately, as if it were a baby rabbit. “Thanks, Toshi!”

He raised up his hand in response before walking out the door. “It's one of the finer sweets, don't waste it.”

* * *

“Here, chocolate.” Kagura threw it at Shinpachi, who grabbed it so eagerly that it made her feel disgusted all over again.

Gin stared at the box as if Satan himself had come to visit them. “...Who gave this to you...” He gingerly picked up the box by the ribbon.

“Toshi did, you're lucky to even _get_ any today.”

Gin ripped open the box and took a ball of white chocolate out. “'Pachi boy, you try it first.”

“Really?” Shinpachi looked at Gin with gratefulness as he placed it into his mouth. His serene look turned sour immediately as he sputtered it out, half choking on his spit and the other half on betrayal. A string of curses left his mouth as he washed out his mouth while Gin had to refrain him from pouring boiling hot water down his throat.

Kagura stifled a laugh as she backed out the door cautiously.

“I knew it...” Gin looked down at the 'chocolate' in raw fear, “it's made out of _mayonnaise_.”

She left them to their demise as she went back to the cash register, a line was already starting to form and she was only gone for two minutes.

They hardly got any customers and the only reason why they had so much today was probably because of Otae's idea; giving out a rose with each purchase for today. Conveniently, the roses came from Otae's garden, so it didn't cost them a penny.

“What would you like to order?” Kagura continued to poke at the cash register.

“Spicy Peppermint Coffee, extra spicy.” Kagura looked up and took him, his presence, all at once. “And what do you think is the best drink?”

Kagura tore her gaze away from him and looked back down at the register. “Pickled Seaweed Explosion,” she responded immediately without hesitation. A warm sensation prickled up her neck and her chest filled up with- well, it was definitely something, but she couldn't pin point the exact feeling. It was pleasant and it hummed in her chest.

“Huh, one of those 'healthy' drinks.” He retorted back with a slight look of disgust on his face.

She refrained from sticking out her tongue at him and sighed through her teeth. “That'll be $4.95.”

“I'm buying that gross drink too, just so you know.”

Kagura glared up at him. “What? You're going to drink something you hate?”

He looked at her plainly. “No, it's for you.”

Kagura narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously as he handed her $10. Well, she wasn't going to pass up on her favorite drink being bought for her.

But he had no reason to buy a drink for her, let alone act like they knew each other. He came so often she didn't even ask for his name anymore, and when they passed by each other out of her work they'd nod at each other. It certainly wasn't something that anyone should buy a drink over for.

“What terrible service, aren't you going to ask for my name?” His eyes followed Kagura as she began making the drink. Shinpachi replaced her begrudgingly at the register as they switched spots.

“It's not Soichiro?” Kagura asked innocently, “or maybe it was Soda?” She knew it was Sougo, but it didn't hurt to tease him a bit. She didn't wait for him to respond as she stuck out three different colored roses at him. “Choose one, it's on the house today.”

His eyes lingered on the red rose for longer than necessary. She was sure he would've chosen that one for his girlfriend, but his words were different form his actions. “Pink.”

An insult was at the tip of her tongue, but she handed it to him wordlessly.

“Gin-chan!” Kagura waved him over as he finally came out of the break room. He walked over to her in a painfully slowly manner, she was about ready to kick him to the curb. “It's your turn, don't drown the drinks in your tears.”

She grabbed the two drinks and walked over to the small table that Sougo sat at.

“This isn't some _hostess_ club, Kagura!” Gin shouted at her through the noise as he watched her sit across from him. She pulled her middle finger out at him before handing Sougo his drink.

“Where's your girlfriend?” she asked nonchalantly as she took a small sip out of her drink. Gin had told her to act proper at work if they wanted money, so she was more than willing to oblige; obviously she still had to work on being polite, the middle finger wasn't going anywhere anytime soon though. And normally she'd be downing the drink in less than a minute.

“What, are you keeping tabs on me or something?” he scoffed as he drank the drink in big gulps.

“You come here _every_ week, or well used to. Did you finally get karma after breaking all of those sad girl's hearts?”

He was silent as he looked down at his drink with obvious fake interest.

He ran his thumb over his perfectly spelled name.

Kagura groaned as the silence ensued. She threw her head back and looked at him with disgust. “Don't look like that it's gross.” She waved her finger at him like an old lady scolding children, “There's no point in moping about it. We all know you're the 'get up and move on' type of pla- uh I mean _guy_ so it's disgusting to see you all heartbroken.”

His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked up at her. “What are you talking about, kid?” He looked down at her condescendingly as he straightened his back, “a pipsqueak like you should be playing around in the dirt and washing your grandmother's back.”

“Watch your trap, punk chihuahua. I'm a full grown _woman_.”

“I dunno about that-” his eyes trailed down from her face.

Kagura poked for his eyes with her two fingers viciously. “If you're gonna use those eyes, i'd use them _sparingly.”_

“I wouldn't limit them when they can move so freely,” he stated, her fingers just mere millimeters from his precious eyes. He held her wrist tightly until she snatched them back.

Kagura gulped down the rest of her drink in three big slurps. “I hope your eyes burn in hell.” She stood up and tossed her cup into the trash. “Enjoy your sad and depressing Valentines day by yourself.”

He usually gave his smiles sparingly, but she was certain the corners of his mouth tilted up.

“Here, a gift for you for entertaining me,” He placed the pink rose in the pocket of her shirt. “Unlike _you,_ I have a date with another three girls after this. You probably wont get a gift this year, so I'll take pity on your sorry self.”

Kagura watched his back as he exited the shop, his hands in his pockets, his back a little bit straighter than before.

"If he comes back I'm gonna spit in his drink.”

 

 


	2. who do you think you are?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "She was like the sun on a summer day; annoying, painful to look at, and always in the way of his view".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | early spring.

****Kagura gazed out at him from behind the glass walls of the shop, her mouth open in mid bite.

He sported the Shinsengumi police officer uniform, a job she was unaware that he was a part of. If anything, she thought he was only a year or two older than her, but she was proven otherwise. If immature punks like him were protecting citizens, there was no hope for any of them.

After the events of Valentines day, her relationship with Sougo... seemed to tick, as if someone fixed a broken clock. They still acted pretty much the same, except their head nods were accompanied with smiles that weren't so friendly or replaced with hand waves that ended with death threats and sometimes the occasionally brief yet undesirable conversations after bumping into each other. Literally bumping into each other, as in him ramming his shoulder into hers and vice versa; they liked to take turns.

And he always seemed to catch her in her most vulnerable, unexpected moments. Such as now; the corners of her mouth were covered with bread crust crumbs, she was more than sure that she had lettuce stuck between her teeth, and the bags under her eyes didn't make her look any more attractive.

He stared at her as if he was observing an animal at the zoo before he continued walking.

* * *

Sougo was just _slightly_ annoyed, and intrigued might he add, by her nature. She always laughed too loudly, struck out poses that were very unladylike, and ate as if the world was going to end the next day. Compared to his ex-girlfriend, Nobume, who was elegant and graceful in every corner and aspect, Kagura was raw and open. She was like the sun on a summer day; annoying, painful to look at, and always in the way of his view.

He didn't really hate her though, she was an odd one, a funny girl.

He staggered up from the couch as the doorbell rang; his hair disheveled with his pajama pants tossed somewhere in the abyss he called his living room and he was pretty sure his grey t-shirt was inside out. Despite that, he opened the door wide, embracing whatever reaction he'd get from the pizza delivery person.

A very, very unamused orange haired girl stood in front of him.

Her hair was split into two, short twin tails. Her uniform was generally the same as when she worked in the cafe, except she sported a baseball hat that had her cafe's logo on it. She examined him up and down once, then twice, her expression impassive and absolutely _done_.

“So it's you, Sofa.” Kagura shoved the pizza box into his arms and extended her hand out. “Pay up, pervert.”

“Huh, when the hell did you guys start selling pizza?” Sougo ignored her accusation and tossed her the $5 that he fished out from the mess of clothes in the corner of the hallway. He hadn't known his sister had called them, let alone them selling pizza all of a sudden.

“Ever since someone accidentally called us and thought we sold pizza, so Gin-chan said we're also a pizza place.” She accepted the crumpled piece of money and shoved it into the basket attached to her bike. “You smell like shit by the way.” She air gagged and rode away on her bike before he could beat her up.

* * *

Kagura liked taking walks out with Sadaharu, but sometimes she needed some time off from Gin-chan, her lazy foster father, and Shinpachi, the other older brother she never had and he practically lived with them in the house, despite having his own home.

She stopped in the middle of the street with a cherry chuubert in her mouth and the other half in her other hand. The road was empty, as it always was during sunset for some reason, so there was no reason to worry about cars running her over. The only worry she had was probably running into him, the dreaded sadist. Hijikata gave her some bonus tips on how to piss the hell out of him and apparently calling him 'sadist' usually did the trick; key word _apparently_. There was probably something wrong with Hijikata's head too since every time she called him that, Sougo seemed to _revel_ in it.

Kagura's face soured as she made out the shape of the dark figure ahead of her. If only Soyo had been there at school, Kagura wouldn't have taken this route _and_ wouldn't have ran into him.

Sougo eyed the chuubert in her hand as he neared and stared at it as if that was the only thing in front of him. “It's dangerous for little high schoolers to be walking around after five, listen to the police will you?” He attempted to pluck the chuubert out of her hand, but she was faster.

Earlier that day, the Shinsengumi police force had come to her school to issue a warning to them about some 'stalker' that was going around town. Unfortunately for the both of them, Sougo was assigned to her classroom. He got her in trouble after she stuck her finger out at him during the middle of the announcement and they both ended up not being able to eat lunch as punishment.

“Shut up, old hag.” Kagura sucked the rest of the juice from the chuubert that was in her mouth before tossing the empty, plastic bottle at him. “If you keep walking around after dark you'll break your frail body.”

“You're under arrest for hurting my feelings, China.”

She stopped acknowledging her nickname since he was giving no hint on letting it go. She blamed Gin-chan for thinking that a Chinese themed cafe would bring in more customers, which only lasted for a week before he went back to the usual.

Sougo finally got the chuubert in his grip, but she wasn't planning on letting go. “Plus it's called an _internship_ , something that idiots like you probably wouldn't understand.”

“If you're just an _internship_ then you can't arrest me, idiot.” She whacked his head with back of her hand.

“It's not _internship_ I would be called an intern _._ Did those pickled seaweeds finally get into your brain?” He frowned as he began eating the chuubert, “you got the worst flavor.”

“Piss off brat,” she hissed and stepped on his foot before stomping off, leaving him in pain. “You owe me fifty cherry chuuberts by tomorrow!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!!! Thanks for the comments and kudos c^:


	3. farewell, money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad school days, stolen money, and annoying robberies.  
> A terrible day for Kagura, until she was able to release her anger (^:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | mid spring.  
> \--  
> HOO!!! boy!!! Hello!! It's been like over a year o god. I wrote this chapter like a few days after posting chapter 2, but I was never really able to get the right ending for it and stopped/took a hiatus until now LMAO. I HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOY IT!  
> 

“Hands up!”

Kagura almost sighed out in agony. Not from being hurt or afraid, but from being beyond annoyed with everything that had happened earlier today. She had a crappy day at school, someone stepped on her milk carton when she dropped it, making it splatter all over her shoes and socks, and then some twat stuck gum into her hair. That wasn’t the worst part, since she repaid him but cutting off the strand and shoving it up his nose, so it wasn't that bad.

The big, catastrophic event was her money. Stolen. Right from her locker. She was going to kill them the day after. That is, if she even survived today's event.

“I said hands up where I can see them!” The burglar nudged the tip of the gun at Kagura's arms until she raised them up higher with a lazy slack.

She kept her mouth shut because if she was gonna say anything, it was probably going to kill every single person in the shop.

Gin was also gone for the day since he had some 'business' to attend to, whatever that meant, so it was just her, Shinpachi, and Hasegawa, who only helped because he was in debt to Gin, unsurprisingly.

“Um, look here,” Hasegawa was shaking as he was down on his hands and knees, “let's just talk this out?”

“Madao, you look here,” Kagura spoke through her clenched teeth, “bimbos like them won't listen to you if you don't give them money-”

“What was that, kid?!” The robber closest to her grabbed the collar of her shirt. “I'll blow your head into bits right now.”

“We already gave you the money from the register!” She almost seethed out at him. What more did they want? If it weren't for Shinpachi's death stare, she probably would've burned the cash register money in front of them just to spite them. If they weren't allowed to keep the money that they worked for, then to hell with it. No one was going to get it then.

“We know you are hiding more money, squirt. Just give it to us and we'll spare everyone in this crappy cafe.”

Oh, people were really out to get on her nerves today.

“We know the owner here keeps a safe full of money. We ransacked this whole rundown place, but we can't find it and you better give us the location and code or a bullet will be put in your head.” His partner added as he narrowed his eyes at them.

Kagura almost scoffed with their constant threats; it was beginning to become repetitive. If Gin kept any secrets, this was one he was going to have to pay for dearly.

They've been living on rice and eggs for the past month, and he was keeping money stored away somewhere? Not that she hated eggs and rice, she could live off of it forever, but she'd like the money for some more pickled seaweed or ice cream or something.

Was it for Pachinko? Because if it was she was going to obliterate him.

Kagura opened her mouth, but paused as she heard the sound of the bell near the front door ring.

“Excuse me? I'd like to order a drink.”

Kagura shifted her head to look at who the idiot was and the color drained from her face quickly. He was the epitome of idiocy, there was no argument about it.

His boots squeaked on the floor as he took a step in, a somewhat unsettling, sweet smile was displayed on his lips. “You know there's a gun ban in Edo, right?”

“Says the man who has a sword resting on his shoulders,” One of the robbers shifted their gun towards him, “there's a sword ban too-”

He paused for a fracture of a second.

“Always good to know the laws around here,” Sougo grinned at him dangerously. “Well, next time- this is just a friendly suggestion -you should pick a place where I won't be 'cause you're wasting my break time right now.” The man's gun got sliced in half within a blink of an eye, and by the time Kagura blinked again, chaos ensued.

The customers began scrambling around frantically, the noise rose in level without warning, almost deafening Kagura. During the confusion, she grabbed her umbrella- a gift left by her good for nothing father before he ditched her in Edo -and jumped on top of the counter, knocking over the closest robber with her heavier-than-necessary umbrella.

“Hey, sadist!” Kagura shouted at him over the roar of the crowd, but he didn't seem to hear her. He held his sword up and bent his knees as he prepared to take on five of them at once, all their guns pointed towards him. He definitely seemed to enjoy being the center of attention with that wide grin on his face, it made her want to smack it off. She clenched her teeth hard as boosted herself off the counter. As she made way up above their heads all their guns pointed up towards her, along with Sougo's wide eyes.

“You-!”

His voice was drowned out by the sound of the bullets smacking against the bottom of her umbrella as it bloomed open beneath her. She hadn't used it in so long; she was having trouble balancing it in her hand and almost toppled over Sougo as she landed in front of him ungracefully. Her back slammed against his legs, causing him to fall anyways.

“A bullet proof umbrella.”

Kagura turned her attention towards him in a somewhat annoyed manner. “Yes, it is. What else would it be?” she asked him. Her tone indicated that it was a very normal thing to have within a store, or in possession at all.

“No one owns a bullet proof umbrella.” He deadpanned as he ducked behind it after a bullet hit too close to his head for comfort.

“You're gonna become Shinpachi number two if you keep that mindset, sadist.” Kagura grunted loudly as she heaved the umbrella across, smacking the burglars together and scattering them across the tables. She averted her gaze towards the back door, where Shinpachi and Hasegawa were rolling everyone out. “This is going to be terrible for our stores’ rep…” she muttered under her breath as she closed her umbrella and slammed it against a robber who was still sprawled across one of the tables, causing it to snap in half.

“It’s been doomed since day one anyways!” Sougo grunted as he slammed the heel of his foot against one of their chests, slamming them through the window and into the sidewalks.

“Hey,” Kagura stopped in mid whack to turn around and face him, her hands placed on her hips. “Fuck off, will you?” she spat at him as he pulled her down by the shoulders, hitting the butt of his sword against the robber behind her.

“How about you stop frolicking among guns and try not to get yourself killed eh?” He suggested as he punched the last man, knocking him out cold. His chest was heaving up and down slightly as he turned around to face her, his eyebrows scrunched together and drawn in. “Why the hell are you still here?”

“You think you could’ve taken down the guys without these?” Kagura puffed out her lips as she rolled up her sleeve, flexing for him. “Without me, you would’ve been dead meat.” She patted her biceps thoroughly before looking back at him with a smirk. “You’ll have to pay for that window by the way, Gin-chan will be totally pissed off about it.”


	4. rainy days, 2 tombstones, and the dreaded customer service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rainy Day Checklist: Seeing the person you don't really like, but don't really hate, but you REALLY don't like, cry at the graveyard in the calm of the storm and steals your umbrella after lending it to them because they didn't bring one (for some unfathomable reason)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Year 1 | mid summer.  
> \---  
> Enjoy (^:  
> 

The rain was relentless as it continued to pour down in Edo, almost as if it sucked the ocean around them dry to drown them in it. It swept into town a few nights ago, a heavy storm that seemed intent on staying for the rest of the week. Luckily she was in the eye of the storm, so the pouring ceased to what a _normal_ rainy day should be like.

Kagura was on a mission to give her respect to Otose's late husband for her since she was stuck in a neighboring town due to the heavy rainstorm, which felt more or less a little bit awkward for her. With Gin and Shinpachi sick, she had no choice but to come to the graveyard alone.She was never excited to go to graveyards, let alone by herself when it was dark, because it brought up bitter memories from before she came to Edo.

The rain itself was a good reminder of how grim her childhood was; constantly filled with dampness, an endless rain. She would see it for miles upon miles. When it wasn't raining, the clouds refused to separate from each other and continued their tightly knitted bond, not letting a ray of light shine down. Her mother also died on a dreary day like today. The rain, relentless as well, but it was also too quiet, and the only sound that she could hear was the soft pit-pat of the rain.

Kagura gripped the handle of her umbrella tighter as she approached the gravestone. All she needed to do was drop off the food that Otose made and say a few prayers before she could go back to the drafty place she called home.

Kagura crouched down in front of the gravestone and placed the plate of manju's on it. She repeated the process in her head: place her hands together, close her eyes and pray. Her eyes glazed over the headstone, and for some reason, she couldn't help but just sit there and stare at the it.

After all these years, Otose was still missing him. She would've thought that since then, the pain would soften a little, but when Kagura went with her the first time she moved into Edo, Otose was wearing a pained expression that was raw and fresh, as if he had died merely hours ago. She was unfamiliar with it, because the ache on Otose's face seemed different from the ache that she felt over losing her mother.

She wasn't sure if the pain of losing her mother was the same as losing a lover, but in the end, love was love; it was painful to lose someone so close to your heart.  
She _did_ wonder what it was like to be in love in that way.

She was only a little curious.

A ghost of a voice was swimming between the sound of the rain, so faint that she wasn't sure if it was even there. Kagura opened her eyes and stood up slowly, cursing herself for taking the yellow umbrella that Gin-chan had given her instead of her purple umbrella. If it was some grave robber, they would spot her immediately and she didn't want to put someone six feet under the ground right now, she definitely wasn’t feeling the spirit.

She walked down a few rows, trying to find the source of the muffled voice. Hopefully it wasn't a ghost or something; not that it would bother her, but it would add some unnecessary spooks. That’s what she liked to tell herself, anyway.

She almost lost her footing out of surprise at the shriveled up figure crouching in front of another gravestone. Sure, she's seen him sad, but it was minuscule compared to how he was now. He should've brought an umbrella, for a start, instead of sitting on his knees in the mud, or maybe wearing a raincoat at the very least.

Kagura stuffed her hand into her pocket and took out an unopened pickled seaweed package and along with some tissues she didn’t remember if she had used or not. She really didn't want to initiate anything with him this time, not that she ever wanted to, but it was somewhat pitiful seeing him like that. She definitely wouldn't want him to see her that way if she was in his position.

Kagura drew back. What was the point? They weren’t close, it’s not like she was obligated to go over and comfort him. She squeezed the tissues in her pocket hard before stepping forward again.

She took big, fast steps towards him. Even when she stood right by him, he didn't budge or move a hair. His face were vacant and his eyes were hard and empty.  
Kagura placed the pickled seaweed on the gravestone and the umbrella by his feet as quietly as she could. She pulled the hood over her head and turned towards the grave, clasping her hands together and did a quick prayer to whoever he was visiting.

_Okita Mitsuba._

Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she took one glance at him before walking away. She decided that the water running down his cheeks was probably from the rain.

* * *

It was probably a good idea that she never gave him the tissues, or else he would’ve gotten whatever cold that Gin and Shinpachi had.

But on a more important note, Kagura never got that umbrella back.

Not the next day, nor the next, not even the day he came to the cafe, which kind of pissed her off because he had the nerve to do that after she did something nice for him for once.

“Extra Spicy Tabasco Coffee for the sadist.” A type of drink specifically made for him since he came here more frequently than she had liked, but it also meant they got business. She personally thought the drink was disgusting as hell.

“You're slow today China,” He grabbed his drink from the counter and took a sip in front of her. “More Tabasco. You're always lacking on the _extra_ part.”

Kagura narrowed her eyes at him and pinched his hand hard when he passed her the drink again. “Sorry to disappoint you, _Jerkaiser_.”

Sougo snapped his eyes down at her and pulled at one of her pigtails. That nickname seemed to do the trick, and it definitely stuck well with him. Kondo-san had told her about the time Sougo had to play some type of dominating political leader for a school play during middle school and after he made a girl cry... well the rest was self explanatory.

As Kagura finally escaped from Sougo's grip, she practically drowned the drink in Tabasco. If he wanted some, he was going to get it all.

“Alright, _thief_ ,” Kagura slid the drink towards him and leaned over the counter, “where's my umbrella?”

Sougo raised an eyebrow, confused. “What umbrella?”

Her frown deepened and she tried to keep her voice leveled. “You know, the yellow one? The one I gave to you when you were cr-”

Sougo slammed the palm of his hand against her mouth and stared down at her with strained eyes. “Oh. That was you.” He hissed, his smile at her with an eerie cheerfulness, “I thought I saw something slinking around like a rat-” He paused for a second and looked at the hand covering her mouth. “Did you just lick my hand?”

Kagura made incoherent noises as she bit him this time.

“What the hell?” He jolted his hand back and wiped it on the sleeve of her shirt. “That’s disgusting, even for you!”

“Sorry, customer. I apologize for behaving so crudely.” Kagura tilted her lips up, showing him her perfectly trained smile. She’s been practicing for weeks in front of the mirror. “As an apology gift, you can have another drink!” She couldn’t afford living off of bugs and grass, which Gin told her would happen if she kept arguing with him and scaring off their customers.

“No. No thanks.” He looked at her if she were some monster and squinted at her, “This is even worse- are you using your customer service smile _and_ voice on me?”

“Of course not, lovely customer! Do come again!” Kagura bowed slightly as he backtracked out of the store, “We’ll miss you!” She waved at him ecstatically while he stared at her the entire time with disgust until they couldn’t see each other anymore.


	5. family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> someone stole Kagura's hard earned money stash )-:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | late summer.

Kagura peeked through the crack of the door, making sure her breathing was as shallow as possible. Every night, she would hear whispers behind her door, voices would raise every so often, but would suddenly quiet down quickly.

“You said you would let them go, Gin-san.”

“I already did, so just drop it already.”

Whatever Gin and Shinpachi were talking about, it wasn't good.

“It's not just 'alright'! Do you understand what's going to happen now!” Shinpachi kept his voice in a low, hushed voice, but it woke her up anyways. The real question Kagura had in mind was why Shinpachi was here at their apartment, at three in the morning.

“After they ransacked our apartment? Hah, very funny Shinpachi.”

The only thing Kagura was truly bummed out about was her year worth of savings. She practically ran all over Edo to get the money she earned.

“And so you did the exact same thing that they did to you guys?” Shinpachi had his hands crossed over his chest, signifying he was truly pissed off. “Now the police are going to be in on us.”

“Blah, blah, blah, blah,” Gin moved his hand up and down, his eyes casted sideways as he avoided Shinpachi’s stare. “All you do is yap away, 'Pachi. All I did was get back what they took.”

“Gin-san, they took practically everything that was valuable in this apartment.” Shinpachi deadpanned, clearly unamused.

“Which is why I only got what I could carry,” Gin held out a glass jar filled with worn down envelopes, “Kagura has been saving up some money, so she can go hunt down her pops.” He placed the jar down on the table and slid his hand back into the inside of his yukata.

She hadn't told anyone about that, how could he have known that she was looking for him?

Shinpachi didn't say a word as he crouched down to examine the jar. At that moment, she slipped away from the door and tiptoed back into her room. Their voices began to dissolve into muffled noises as she trekked her way back. As she fidgeted underneath her blankets to find a comfortable position, a warm feeling entered her chest, swelling into something she had long forgotten. Whenever she thought of the word “dad”, for some reason, she always seemed to picture Gin and her old man beside each other.

* * *

“Of course this would happen...” Shinpachi grumbled to Kagura as they watched Gin converse with two of the Shinsengumi officers. “He's going to get thrown in jail for doing something so ridiculous.”

“Well, what else do you expect from a guy with a potato for a brain?” Kagura said as she eyed the officers. Things were starting to look a little rough as their voices grew louder, almost overpowering the conversations of the other customers.

“He should've at least let us help him, but now he's going to have to shoulder it all by himself...” Shinpachi sighed as he tightened his grip on the broom. “He already has a criminal record too-”

“Gin-chan does?” Kagura quirked an eyebrow up; well that was news. “Did he get arrested for being a bum for too long?”

“Hey, hey, hey!”

Shinpachi and Kagura looked over at him in alarm, both ready to jump over the counter.

“When I filed in a report you guys didn't do anything!” Gin stabbed an accusing finger into the chest of one of the officers, “but now you're gonna arrest me for getting back what was ours in the first place?”

“Sir, there's nothing we can do about i-”

“'Nothin' we can do about it my ass! I'd like to see you try to throw me into jail!”

“Is this what you're looking for?” Kagura held up the jar for them to see, her other hand on her hip. “If this is it then just scram and get the hell out.” The officer stumbled to catch it as she tossed it at him.

“Kagura!” Gin started reaching for the jar, but his hand was swatted away by Kagura.

“Does it even really matter anymore?” she replied nonchalantly as she headed back to the counter, “if you guys got what you wanted, then get outta here will ya? Unless you're going to buy something.” She slid her eyes over to the police officers; they could have inflicted knife wounds if she stared at them long enough. If any teenager could give someone a silent death threat, it was her.

“Kids should just keep their noses clean, not get involved with the police.” Gin glanced over at her after the police left and wiped his booger onto Kagura's apron. “Grown ups should start acting like adults and not get caught stealing like an elementary kid.” Kagura returned the gesture.

Shinpachi let out a long sigh and looked at the both of them tiredly. “Seriously, if you were going to get something back you should've just let us in on it, Gin-san.” For once, Gin was silent.

* * *

“Hello? Anyone in here?”

Kagura craned her head to look over at the entrance of the door, her hand still in the process of flipping the Open sign to Closed.

“Are you blind or are you just stupid?” Kagura stuck her head out the window and pointed to the sign. “Plus, business hours are on the door-” she grunted as she was pulled away from the door by her shirt.

“We're always open!” Gin laughed loudly as he discreetly flipped the sign to Open again. “We'll be open for the whole night to celebrate our uh, 98th day anniversary! Bring all of your friends and family!” He hollered out into the chill night, where it was dead silent.

“You're going to wake up everyone! Be quiet!” Shinpachi dragged Gin back inside the building after he opened up the entrance of the door to let in Sougo. “We've been open for almost more than half a year already anyways!”

Kagura's face soured as she eyed him. She wasn't too fond of the Shinsengumi right now, especially due to the earlier encounter.

“Here you go, Boss.” Sougo dropped a small, white plastic bag into his hands.

“Huh, so you are useful for something-” Gin eyed him warily, “They didn't put a record on me for this did they?”

“Don't worry, I cleared your name and we caught the culprits already. It was a misunderstanding. Just think of this as repayment for last time.”

“Last time?” Shinpachi echoed, his eyes darted between the two of them with suspicion.

“When his sis came over to Edo for the first time, he blackmailed me to hang out with them the whole day 'cause he has no friends-”

Sougo nailed his head with the back of his fist, a perfectly smooth smile was plastered on his face. “It's getting late, isn't it?” Sougo flitted his eyes over to Kagura, “better stash your money somewhere safer, China.”

“Don't tell me what to do.” Kagura snapped at him as she raised her fist.

“Hm...” He pondered for a minute before beginning. “You guys can pay me back by giving me and my date free meals for two months.”

“Like hell we would!” The three of them shouted in unison and kicked him out of the store angrily.

“Come back and I'll set your ass on fire!” Kagura shouted at him as he shot a glare at her.

“I'd like to see your puny self try.”

By the time he was long down the street, Kagura was still fuming at him. Like they needed anymore of him and his dates around here, he would just stink up the whole cafe again with salty tears of the girls he crushed.

“Huh, he's an OK guy after all.” Gin tossed the bag of money towards Kagura. “Didn't think he'd actually help us, although he did before.”

“What the hell did that idiot do?” Kagura muttered back as she opened the bag and checked the contents of it.

“I met him along the way when I was going to their hideout and he joined in for the fun after hearing about what happened. Said he needed to ransack their place anyway for their investigation or somethin'.”

“He's not even officially a part of the Shinsengumi yet, is he? Isn't that illegal?” Shinpachi began sweeping the floors again.

“Beats me,” Gin shrugged and stretched his arms, “maybe he was too embarrassed to admit he was doing it for y-”

“Shut up, shut up!” Kagura attempted to sweep Gin from his feet, but he was just as fast and jumped out of the way. She was absolutely not going to hear it. Just thinking about the thought of it made her stomach squeeze uncomfortably, like having something stuck in your teeth.

“Hey! You asking to sleep outside tonight?” he growled, but it was cut short as she threw the bag square at his face.

“Get us a working fan and heater for once!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the chaps up to like,, chapter 6 were prewritten like last year lmao (that being said, I hope the chapters after ch 6 are written better!!! I haven't watched Gintama in a while, so I hope they aren't ooc sobs). The next chapter is prob a bit more serious? And a lot longer!! Writing this is therapeutic aaa I hope you enjoy. Thanks for sticking around!! hearts for you all


	6. that's not love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks, sakura petals, and falling off a moving float (^:

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | early fall.  
> \---  
> enjoy! <3

She always looked slightly worried whenever they spoke to each other. Despite her soft eyes and smiles, she couldn't hide the creases that formed between her eyebrows or on her forehead when she talked in her usual hushed voice, airy and light as a feather.

He would constantly ask her if she was uncomfortable, but she would always dismiss it. Now, he assumed it had something to do with _him._ Which was never a good sign, especially when it was coming from his own sister. That day was no different.

It was early in the morning, 8 A.M. with the windows open, the buzz of early fall from sleepy bugs drifted into the air as Sougo descended from the stairs. Mitsuba was adamant on eating breakfast, and considered it the most important meal of the day. Despite the fact that she was required to have more rest than the typical person, she always insisted on cooking breakfast for Sougo.

“Sougo, hurry down or you'll be late for your class.” Mitsuba ushered him with a wooden spoon that was drenched in red sauce; probably Tabasco. He usually wasn't a fanatic with spicy things, unlike his sister who drowned almost every meal she had in it.

As he sat down, she passed him a three stacks of syrup on pancakes with a side of apples sprinkled with extra hot cinnamon sprinkles- an odd combination that they discovered tasted fantastic together when they were younger. “Thanks sis,” he muttered in between bites as he gobbled it down.

“Of course, Sou-chan.” Mitsuba passed him a pleasant smile and sat down beside him. “So, class doesn't start until an hour or so, right?”

He nodded, slightly wary of what her question was leading to. As Sougo looked up at her, he saw it again. The same off smile on her face. It was as if she was worried about something and only a sliver of that worry would peak up into the surface that he could see.

“I've been,” she paused for a bit before continuing, “you see, I've been bothered by something for the past few years.” She licked her dry lips and continued. “You know I won't be here for long-”

“Sis, don't say that.” Sougo cut in with a frown. He hated it when she spoke like that, as if she was living every day just to be waiting for her dying breath to come. He hated it, it was the only thing he hated about her.

“Sougo, I want you to be happy, I really do.” She placed a hesitant hand over one of his. “It's good that you're with new people frequently. It's good to meet different personalities and to explore while you're still young.” She leaned in toward him, trying to make eye contact with him, but he glanced away. “But I also know that you don't like attachment.”

Sougo had stopped eating the moment she brought up the same old topic. He had his hand rested on his forehead with his eyes casted down on the half eaten pancakes and dripping syrup. Every time she started up this topic, he _heard_ what she was saying, he respected her decision to talk to him about it, but for some reason he was never really able to _listen._ Her voice rang loud and clear, but the meaning of her words would go in one ear and out of the other.

“I know you're afraid of caring about someone deeply, Sougo. I know it hurts. Trust me, I've been there over and over again.” Her voice was soft, like a gentle breeze blowing through a field of daisies. “If you keep skimming through relationships like this-”

“I'm not just skimming through them,” he interjected quickly, “you know, that girl. Nobume. I like her, a lot.” Sougo stuffed a forkful of the pancake into his mouth. “I'm not afraid of being attached, I just decide not to. We've talked about this before.”

It was becoming more frequent, _and_ it was beginning to annoy him.

“Sougo, don't let that stop you from letting yourself truly fall in love with someone-”

“Love?” he chuckled as he stabbed the last piece of the pancake, “can't you see why it won’t work? Look where that got you.”

He wanted her to slap him for saying that. He was waiting for it, waiting for the familiar sting of a slap whenever he opened his snappy mouth or when he broke up with one of them, but Mitsuba just smiled at him; a genuine, raw smile.

“It made me the person I am today, and I don't hate that at all.”

To hell with affection or love or even adoration. As someone as pure and kind as his sister, she should've been the happiest being on the planet. But no. She was stuck wallowing in the past about some jerk who rejected her and left her right after. If someone like _her_ didn't have the love she deserved, how could _he_ ever deserve to find someone who would truly love him?

Not in this lifetime, maybe not even in the next or the one after that.

Besides, his hands were already soaked with blood. He was a killer, a murderer.

“ _Your eyes, they're the same as mine.” Nobume leaned back from him, her face plain and even. “You have the eyes of a murderer.”_

It was the first time they had met, but she wasn't the first one to say it. A man had said that to him right before Sougo brought his sword down into the heart of his throat.

_“And that's why we'll get along so well.”_

He didn't give a damn if he was a murderer. He was doing it for a reason and for justice, he had no choice.

* * *

  _“My dear Kagura,” her mother stroked her hair softly, “love unconditionally, because it’s the only thing that will prevail.”_

Kagura hummed a happy tune as she swung her dangling legs back and forth. The perks of being best friends with the Shogun's daughter were endless, especially since she got to ride on a float during the parade, right next to her said best friend. Not only did she get to skip school, but she was able to eat candied apples and be on all over T.V. Gin and Shinpachi were definitely going to be jealous that she'd bring in a few extra bucks as well for participating, _plus_ getting extra credit in her classes for contributing to Edo.

Legally this time.

Her pops would've been so proud of her, earning extra bucks by herself.

Kagura popped her lips as she took the lollipop out of her mouth and gazed up at the clouded sun. It only gave off a pleasant warmth, with it being the beginning of fall and all.

“Kagura-chan! How are you enjoying your first Autumn Parade?” Soyo knelt down beside her. She was practically radiating sunshine.

“Way better than sitting in class, that's for sure.” Kagura's words were jumbled with the candy in her mouth. “So all you do is wave or something?”

“Basically. It's to show respect to the town, which is why brother and I are required to attend. I love it though, the only time I get to go out into town without the purpose of school.” Soyo clasped her hands together excitedly. “Maybe we'll pass by your shop!”

“I doubt you'll pass by that run down place anyway, it's not on the main street.” Kagura waved her hand lazily at Soyo.

“Soyo-chan! Please stay by your brother's side from now on! We're beginning the parade!” One of the officers shouted at her from behind the float.

“Okay!” Soyo stood up from her position, “enjoy the ride, Kagura! Don't forget to toss the flower petals!”

“Don't worry, I won't!” Kagura waved at her as she swung her legs around onto the floor of the float and got up. Along with another student who was located opposite of Kagura, they were designated 'flower girls'. That’s what Soyo liked to call them.

She wore one of Soyo's yukata's- a vibrant red colored base trimmed with shimmering gold, along with soft pink flower patterns on it. The sash around her waist was a vibrant coral. Soyo put it on her loosely so that she could move around more freely. Then, she clipped one side of Kagura's hair back, letting the other side of her hair spill over her shoulders like a waterfall of orange fire.

She looked pretty nice when she was cleaned up, if she did say so herself. As she was admiring herself from a reflection on the float, she spotted him again; might she add that this was the _fifth_ time she had spotted him this week.

“Huh, below me as always, peasant.” Kagura said loudly, smirking as she saw his neck crane up to look at her. It was odd seeing him in regular clothes, since she hadn't seen him without the uniform in a while.

“What the hell are you doing up there, China girl?”

“I've been promoted to head honcho of the parade!” She declared as she laughed loudly, her fingertips tapped her lips as she did so. “Don't piss me off or you'll feel the wrath of Queen Kagura.”

“I don't talk to servant girls who work for the Shogun.” He nodded his head at the basket of pink petals at her feet.

Her fingers ached to throw the basket over his head and drown him in those flowers.

“Brat.” She spat at the ground beside his feet. “The Shinsengumi work for the government!”

“You're gonna sink the float before it even begins moving, I bet you ate a lot before you came, huh?” He ignored her last comment, which angered her even more.

“You better piss off while you can!” Kagura shouted at him as he walked away towards the other floats to double check on their stability. He wasn’t wrong, she _did_ eat a bunch.

He passed her a smug smile as he descended down the road. She huffed angrily and slapped her cheeks. She wasn't going to let some punk ruin her day.

The float lurched forward, Kagura lost her footing and accidentally kicked the basket of flower petals off the float. Onto the cold, unforgiving concrete. She watched the contents of the basket flutter out and litter the street. She was on all fours, mouth agape as the flowers grew further and further away from her reach.

“Is everything okay, Kagura?” Soyo shouted from above.

“Yeah! Perfect!” Kagura squeaked back as she scrambled to stand up. She scanned the area to see if she could use _anything_ to substitute the petals for. She was going to be _done_ for.

Her eyes lit up as she averted her gaze upwards, towards the cherry blossoms branches that were hanging closely to her, as if they knew she was going to screw up. Plenty of petals were beginning to fall from the tree branches, which made it easier to grab. The only obstacle was having to go to very edge of the float to pluck them off, plus the float was moving, and they were nearing the crowd…

She shrugged her shoulders- it was better to try than to not and get scolded in the end anyway, so it was worth the effort. She stood on her tiptoes and grabbed a few, collecting it into her yukata. She bundled up one side of it to create a makeshift basket.

* * *

Sougo didn't think the day could get any worse than it already was, and now he was wearing some outfit that resembled a royal attire. If anything, he felt like Kaiser Okita de Sade Sougo the III from middle school all over again. He thought Hijikata called him for guard duty, not to replace some sickly parade participant.

“You're perfect for the role, Sougo!” Kondo laughed heartily as he slapped him on the back. “Help the city out every once in awhile, you'll definitely gain a better reputation by doing this.”

Unfortunately he didn't _care_ about what people thought of him, so this was absolute bullshit for him. He couldn't deny Kondo though, he was the man that pulled him and his sister out of the rubble after their parents died. If Hijikata was the one talking to him, well, that would be a different matter.

Sougo angled his neck away from Kondo and zoned him out. He still wasn't up for listening to his ongoing ramblings though, and somehow he always got on the topic of Otae every time they spoke to each other now.

 _“Disturbance on the Shogun's float, over_.”

Kondo immediately disengaged from the conversation and spoke into the walkie talkie. “What's going on over there?”

More static cackling happened before the man responded. _“One of the Shogun's helpers dropped her basket full of flowers and is now currently trying to pick some petals off from the tree- HEY, that's dangerous kid!”_

“Well, did you tell her to stop it because it's causing a safety hazard?”

_“Sir, we've tried for five minutes now, but she is unresponsive.”_

Kondo ran a hand down his face as he sighed. “Alright, I'll be over there in a few,” He turned around and opened his mouth, but it was left open with confusion as he began to do 360 turns around the perimeter.

Where the hell was Sougo?

* * *

Love was a controversial topic. She never really thought about it, especially in the context of romantic love. Family love came easy to her, it was practically second nature. She probably shouldn’t be thinking about love anyway, since she was able to topple down twenty feet head first. It wasn’t that bad, but maybe it would cause an injury? How would she get a hot, rich guy to marry her if she got brain damage?

Why was a float twenty feet tall in the first place? Weren’t they usually half that size or less?

Everything around her slowed down as she saw their mouths slowly open in surprise and panic, it looked a bit ridiculous. The bad part was how she responded just as slow as everyone else, her hands going up in seconds as she watched her hard gained work of petals flutter back down to the cold, unforgiving ground _yet again_. 

She was _so_ close to reaching that one perfect flower. Her fingertips brushed it, but alas, her arms were too short. It was sort of funny, if she did say so herself. It was like she was in a dramatic soap opera, maybe she could gain a few gifts when she was at the hospital if she acted like she was in real pain, and advertise for the cafe!

If she was going to fall and hurt herself inevitably, might as well earn some profit, right?

The ground was closing in on her alarmingly faster than her imagination could keep up, and her arms weren’t closing in to her face fast enough- it _definitely_ wasn’t worth having face damage over-

She blinked once, then twice, then a _third_ time because she had just enough time.

His dark, red eyes were wide and brimmed with alertness, his lips parted open slightly, his arms open wide and inviting- it was almost like a dream, because she knew she would probably never have this opportunity again.

She squeezed her eyes shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her nose crashing into his shoulder as she groaned, her legs flopped behind him before swinging back and straightening. She groaned even louder this time as she popped her head over his shoulder, her groans became more audible by the second. “Oh great oh great oh great-” she mumbled without pause as she felt him lower her down to the ground, making her sit down. She still had her eyes squeezed shut as she tilted her head back, pinching her nose.

“Should’ve just let me hit that ground, it would’ve had the same result.” She pressed her hands against her nostrils to keep the blood from flowing down her face. She opened her eyes, which were blurry from moisture, but she was able to blink them away and gain back her vision.

A concerned face met her gaze, which probably surprised her more than the initial fall.

“You’re bleeding-”

“No shit, thanks for pointing that out!” Kagura would’ve flicked his forehead, but her hands were full. “I can’t get it on the yukata, it’s not mine-” Panic rose in her voice, but it was shortly cut off when he shoved his jacket against her nose.

“Quit freaking out, there’s no blood on it.” Sougo rolled his eyes as he lowered his eyes to her level.

“No dizziness, right?”

Kagura shook her head as she applied more pressure against her nose. “No blood on the yukata right?”

“I just said there wasn’t any, idiot.” Sougo shook his head as he helped her stand up. “You sure you’re not dizzy?”

There was an odd concern in his voice, it felt weird to her.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, stop acting like a mom.” Kagura turned around, but the Shogun’s float was long gone. “I gotta go back on it-”

Sougo opened his mouth, but he was cut off.

“Yeah right,” Hijikata came up behind them with his arms crossed, his eyes glowered down at them with anger. “You’re going straight to first aid, kid.”

* * *

“...this is on the house…” Kagura slid the drink to Sougo discreetly, giving him the side eyes as she waved him off for the next customer, but he didn’t budge.

He stared at the drink, then at her with such an odd expression, she squirmed in her spot. “You’re unbelievable.” He merely stated before grabbing the drink. “Also, that is a food and drink safety hazard.” He pointed at his nose, indicating at the two tissues stuffed up both her nostrils.

She threw the middle finger up at him throughout his entire walk to one of the cafe tables.

She was working at the barista section now, but she tossed a glance every now and then at his table. He was alone this time, and he looked so lost drinking away at the spicy drink, downing it much faster than usual. She was surprised he wasn’t melting from the inside.

He caught her staring, making her jump in surprise. Instead, he looked away just as quick, shuffling with something on the table, then he turned around and pointed at his nose with a smirk on his face. Before she could react at the two napkins stuck up his nostrils, he was up and out of the cafe, with a tip left on his table.


	7. two peppermint mochas please!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mocking a man's face right before you poured a hot drink on (he hit his wife)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> year 1 | mid fall (nov)  
> \--  
> Thanks for all the positive feedbacks!! For old time readers, I updated each chapter with a year slot and season slot (like this -> year | season) at the beginning of the chapter. Currently, I'm planning to reach (Year 5 | late winter (feb, valentines day)) to end the fic! Seems about an appropriate, since that's how I started the fic in the first place. I tweaked some chapters to fit in with the season (very minor changes, mostly just scenery wise).
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and supporting. Love ya! xoxo

Sougo tugged at his scarf sharply as he tried to pull it from his neck, anyone near him could feel the annoyance blooming from him. He glanced up at the sky with a sigh, cursing it for snowing in November. The itchiness never left, and it seemed to worsen whenever he messed with it, but he couldn’t help it. Kondo insisted that he wear one, to the point where if Sougo kept refusing, he would’ve had more than three scarves on him.

His eyes dragged away from the puff of air he exhaled, to the window of a store he passed by. The moment October ended, spiders were gone and life sized Santa Claus’ to ginormous reindeers invaded the town; each store had _at least_ two of each.

“Sir!” A man latched onto Sougo’s arm, panic covered every inch of his face as he swallowed in gulps of air. “Are you an officer?”

Sougo blinked once, then twice, before checking for his badge, just to double check that he was, in fact, qualified to help the man.

“What’s the problem?” Sougo asked, noticing that his delayed answer only agitated the man even more than he already was.

“There’s a crazy woman in one of the cafe shops! She burned a man!”

Sougo lifted an eyebrow, interest lightened up his dull eyes.

* * *

Kagura _adored_ the winter season. It was one of her favorites: a big, hefty old grandpa man that gives presents? Yes (she could sell the presents the Santa Claus at the mall gave her). Gin giving her money? _Yes_ . But the best present of all was the amount of people that came stampeding into the cafe, which generated even _more_ money!

She hummed happily as she started up one of their bestsellers during the fall season: a classic peppermint mocha. She didn’t even care that Gin made her wear plush reindeer antlers and a plush red button on her nose. If anything, it was better than Shinpachi, who had to dress up in a elf costume that was way too stiff for him. He looked like he was wearing a cardboard box slathered with expired paint (he probably was).

Kagura walked over to the customer’s table, her hums quieted down as she approached the table of a couple who seemed a bit more tense than normal. Her bright smile fell as she noticed the two of them arguing- the man was raising his voice, abnormally high and shrill, as the woman began to sink deeper and deeper into her seat, her hand up in a failed attempt to quiet him down.

“I knew it,” the man said, shaking his head. “Just like the rest of your family-”

“You don’t know anything!” She didn’t hesitate for a moment to grab his scarf. The man pulled back in alarm, but not far enough to avoid her. “Don’t you _dare_ talk about my family that way!”

The anger that swelled in her dissipated as quick as it had formed the moment the back of his hand snapped across her cheek.

A chill ran through the air, several nervous glances and heads turned towards the couple. The woman didn’t even flinch under the impact, but the fire in her eyes dimmed down and were once again replaced with emptiness.

“Two peppermint mochas for table five?” Kagura asked loudly, setting one down in front of the woman.

The man cleared his throat as he glanced at Kagura. He loosened his scarf a bit more before muttering back an affirmation, his eyes avoiding hers. “You attacked me first.” He whispered lowly, yet harshly, at the woman.

Kagura’s eyes widened when she heard those four words leave his mouth. She slammed his drink in front of him, some of the contents spilled onto his pants. He jolted back in his chair, bumping the person behind him, causing them to spill their drink all over the table.

“What the hell!” he shouted, glaring up angrily at Kagura.

“Oh, I’m _so_ sorry. I didn’t mean to do this to one of our dear, valued customer. Let me clean that mess up for you and the drink is on the house,” Kagura said in an overly sweet voice.

“These pants are worth more than your entire life, kid!” He grabbed her shoulder roughly. “How will you compensate?”

“Darling, just let her go, she’s a child-” The woman began to place a hand on his arm, but he raised his arm at her to shove her off.

“Shut up!-”

Kagura grabbed his arm and twisted it around, forcing him to sit back down on the chair. “I _literally_ just said how I would compensate.” Kagura glowered down at him, using her other hand to grab his drink. “Like I said before, _this_ is on the house.” She smiled at him wide before tossing the rest of his drink into his face, the effects of the hot water did not disappoint.

* * *

Sougo wasn’t sure how to react. Should he laugh? He really wanted to, after the way Kagura explained what went down, in addition to her ridiculous reindeer get up, but he would probably get his internship revoked. He gave all three of them a stiff smile, trying to keep the laughter bubbling inside him from bursting out for everyone to see.

“So,” he started, as he straightened out the packet of paper in front of him, “you’re telling me she-”

“Poured _boiling_ hot water on my face!” The man jabbed his finger into Kagura’s shoulder.

“Hey! The drink wasn’t even _that_ hot!” She shouted back, jabbing her own finger into his cheek, causing more grief to his pain. “Don’t touch me with your greasy, nasty finger!” Before Sougo could react, she looked away from the man and stared dead straight into Sougo’s eyes. “This piece of shit slapped her. He deserved it!”

“ _My_ family business has nothing to do with a brat like you! How can you even provide proof for what you claim?”

They both stood up now, glaring at each other, despite the fact that he was at least a head and a half taller than her.

“You’re joking.” Kagura said in disbelief, narrowing her eyes as she leaned in with her tiptoes now. “You’re such a dirty, wet, scumbag dog-”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough of this. _._ ”

They both whipped their heads towards Sougo, but realized the voice went beyond him. Hijikata towered behind him, the cigarette was still fresh in his mouth as he pulled it out between two fingers. Kagura didn’t even notice he was there the entire time. “Sit down now, and just get straight to the point.” He averted his eyes towards the woman, who was quiet the entire time. “Did he slap you?”

She hesitated for a moment, and felt the heat of the man’s eyes piercing through her skin- she shivered. She shook her head no, her eyes were casted downwards the entire time. Hijikata noticed the man’s shoulders slack at her words.

Kagura slammed a fist on top of the table in front of them, causing everyone to flinch back. “Can you not see what’s happening here?” Kagura extended both arms out towards them. “Literally ask anyone at the cafe-”

“Sougo, get her out of here.” One of Hijikata’s eyes twitched when his eyes landed on the man. “You go with them too, I need to talk to your wife alone.”

“This is chicken shit!” Kagura protested against Sougo’s arms as he dragged her out. “I know abuse when I see it-!”

“Also, reprimand Kagura some more about her actions!” Hijikata added in before Sougo shut the door.

“You, sit over there.” He pointed for the man to sit across the room, and pointed for Kagura to sit on the other side.

“If you think for one second I’d let that guy go-” Kagura hissed at Sougo as he pulled her by her arm, setting her down on a chair, “-then it’s not your lucky day!”

“You’re an idiot if you think pouring hot water on his face wouldn’t get you in trouble.” He took a seat next to her and stared right at the man, his eyes unmoving.

“Like you wouldn’t have done the same?” Kagura argued back, making a sound of disapproval as she crossed her arms.

Sougo glanced at her, his lips creased into a stiff line.

“You find it funny, don’t you?” Kagura smirked, leaning in.

He didn’t respond.

“Come on, let it out!”

His lips tilted up in a form of a twisted, pained smile. “Stop it, don’t you dare-”

“He made this face right before I poured his drink on him,” Kagura said, scrunching up her facial features together, craning her neck up slightly and into her body to create a double chin.

Sougo snorted, then erupted into fits of wheezes and laughter as he clutched his stomach. “Like t-this?” He said quickly in between breaks of laughs. He mimicked her facial expression with more accuracy than Kagura would’ve liked.

She coughed out a laugh of surprise. “ _Exactly_ like that!” Kagura busted out laughing, slamming the palm of her hand on the wall- they were two bumbling laughing messes, she was pretty sure everyone in town could hear them.

“That is not how I looked!”

They both flinched back from the voice and stole glances at each other, remembering that the man they were mocking was just 10 feet away from them. Kagura’s smile was replaced with a frown, her laugh died with it.

“Just so you know,” Sougo started, still occasionally having hiccups of chuckles, “with that many witnesses around, you’re going to be _ruined_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the characters are still realistic. . . I'm a bit rusty (^': (Sorry if I disappointed!! aaa)  
> Thanks for reading <33 xoxo


End file.
